Skift Take
Abu Dhabi group Rotana is trying its hand at a casino in Georgia, on the other hand, gaming remains in the cards back home in the UAE.
Josh Corder
Abu Dhabi hotel group Rotana has a gambling establishment task in the works, and investment in the resort is open to anybody, starting at US$ 89,400 for a hotel space.
Located in Georgia (the country not the U.S. state), the hotel is the very first gambling establishment project introduced by a UAE company– where video gaming stays unlawful.
The Pontus Rotana Resort & Health spa was first revealed in May 2023 however is now actively seeking investors– little and large– as it prepares to open in late 2026. Financiers can purchase single hotel rooms or numerous ones. There are 600 keys in overall.
Rotana informed Skiftthat the extra funds could be utilized by the owners– Pontus Capital– to establish 2 more Rotana homes in the nation. Sales started at the end of last year, with 50 units offered in January 2024 and potentially 60 more in February, according to Rotana COO Eddy Tannous.
“A great deal of the investors are simply individuals, people who know Rotana well or are from the Middle East,” he said. “It’s a very successful design in that part of the world. [Financiers] will utilize the asset themselves throughout holiday times however also have a return on investment. For the owners, it’s a money injection from purchasing homes. It lets them start other developments, possibly in Tbilisi and a ski resort. Sea, city and ski.
Founded in the early 1990s in the UAE, Rotana has turned into one of the nation’s largest regional hotel operators. The group has around 100 hotels and tends to open in markets interesting Middle East travelers. This consists of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, Oman, Russia and others.
The relocation into Georgia was spurred on for the same reason, described Tannous. “Pontus are effectively established in Georgia. They saw a chance to target the Middle East market. Pontus’ vision is to get an established [Middle East] brand name in its market.”
Heating up For More Gambling establishments?
On the gambling establishment aspect, Tannous stated it’s par for the course in this specific district of Georgia. Located near a city called Batumi, it is viewed as one of the gaming hubs of the nation, home to a Shangri-La gambling establishment resort.
Rotana will not be running the casino, but rather selecting a thrid-party operator. Tannous stated: “Even in big hotels– leaving out maybe Vegas– gaming is an add-on. The gambling establishments are typically run by third-party operators, focused on that business. For us, as Rotana, we require to make sure there’s synergy in between us and that third-party [casino] operator.”
“The gaming element is an add-on for sure. The location has a really heavy concentrate on gaming currently, it draws in individuals from nations where video gaming is not allowed.”
In the UAE, the very first and only validated casino is opening in 2027 in Ras Al Khaimah and will be run by Wynn Resorts. Rival MGM has mentioned on various occasions a desire for a casino license in the country however has yet to validate anything.
Asked whether the Georgia resort is a warm-up for a prospective casino task in the UAE, Tannous said: “There’s absolutely an opportunity to gain from gaming in Georgia.”
He included that if that were to take place, it would likely be an external business running it on Rotana’s behalf. “We’re open to diversifying our operations,” he said. “It would just be supplying a service to a guest, it’s an add-on. Will Georgia teach us how [casinos] are run? Yes. My understanding of video gaming is that specialized companies run that service however we require synergy with them. Most probably, that’s how it would appear like.”